This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-027247, filed Feb. 2, 2001, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connector for connecting flexible printed circuit boards, a head actuator provided with the connector, and a disk drive.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a disk drive such as a hard disk drive (hereinafter referred to as HDD) comprises magnetic disks housed in a casing, a spindle motor for supporting and rotating the magnetic disks, a head actuator supporting magnetic heads, a voice coil motor for driving the head actuator, a substrate unit, etc.
The head actuator includes a bearing portion attached to the casing and a plurality of arms extending from the bearing portion. A magnetic head is mounted on each arm by means of a suspension. The substrate unit includes a main flexible printed circuit board (hereinafter referred to as main FPC), the distal end portion of which extends close to the bearing portion. Each magnetic head is connected to one end of a relay flexible printed circuit board (hereinafter referred to as relay FPC) on each arm, and the other end portion of the relay FPC is connected to the main FPC. Thus, each magnetic head is connected electrically to the substrate unit through the relay and main FPC""s and controlled by means of the substrate unit.
In the case where the printed circuit boards are connected electrically to each other in this manner, each printed circuit board is provided with connecting pads, a pre-tinning layer is formed on each connecting pad, and the pads are opposed to one another. In this state, the pre-tinning layer is heated from the base-layer side of one of the printed circuit boards. By doing this, the pre-tinning layer is melted to connect the pads electrically and mechanically.
Possibly, the relay and main FPC""s may be connected by contact bonding. In the magnetic disk drive, however, the connected portion between the relay and main FPC""s moves as the head actuator rocks, and is subjected to vibration and shock. Accordingly, soldering is widely used to improve the reliability of connection.
In conventional assembly processes for a magnetic disk drive, soldering the FDC""s is carried out in a clean room. However, the soldering operation includes a process for melting solder by means of a soldering iron. In this process, outgassing from a flux or the like in the solder may generate, possibly contaminating the atmosphere in the clean room and exerting a bad influence upon other components.
Further, soldering the relay and main FPC""s involves operation for soldering very fine connecting pads, so that the reliability of the soldering is easily influenced by workmanship.
Furthermore, repairing the head actuator requires resoldering after the solder on the connecting portions is removed. Thus, repairs are troublesome and their achievement level easily lowers.
The present invention has been contrived in consideration of these circumstances, and its object is to provide a connector for flexible printed circuit boards, capable of easily securely connecting flexible printed circuit boards, a head actuator provided with the same, and a disk drive.
In order to achieve the above object, a connector for flexible printed circuit boards according to an aspect of the invention is a connector for electrically connecting a pair of first flexible printed circuit boards, fixed individually on the respective surfaces of two arms spaced and opposed to each other and each extending from a distal end portion of each arm to a proximal end portion thereof, and a second flexible printed circuit board extending from any other portion than the arms toward the proximal end portions. The connector comprises: a female connector formed of the first flexible printed circuit boards; and a male connector provided at the second flexible printed circuit board. The female connector includes a pair of connecting portions formed on respective proximal-side end portions of the first flexible printed circuit boards and opposed to each other across a given space, each of the connecting portions having a first contact formed by exposing a part of a conductor pattern of the first flexible printed circuit board. The male connector includes a projection configured to be fitted between the connecting portions of the female connector, and second contacts provided on the projection and connected to a conductor pattern of the second flexible printed circuit board, the second contacts being arranged so as to contact with the first contacts when the projection is fitted between the connecting portions.
A head actuator according to another aspect of the invention comprises: a bearing portion; two arms each having a proximal end portion attached to the bearing portion, and a distal end portion supporting a head, extending from the bearing portion, the arms being opposed to each other across a given space; first flexible printed circuit boards fixed individually on the respective arms, connected electrically to the respective heads, and extending from the heads to the proximal end portions of the arms; a second flexible printed circuit board connected to the first flexible printed circuit boards; and a male connector attached to the second flexible printed circuit board,
each of the first flexible printed circuit boards including a connecting portion provided at the proximal end portion of the arm and having a first contact formed by exposing a pair of a conductor pattern of the first flexible printed circuit board,
the respective connecting portions on the two arms being opposed to each other across a given space to constitute a female connector,
the male connector including a projection configured to be fitted between the connecting portions of the female connector and second contacts provided on the projection and connected to a conductor pattern of the second flexible printed circuit board, the second contacts being arranged so as to contact with the respective first contacts when the projection is fitted between the connecting portions.
A disk drive according to still another aspect of the invention comprises a disk; a head configured to write and read in and retrieving information from the disk; a head actuator supporting the head for movement with respect to the disk; a substrate unit configured to input and output signals with respect to the head; a main flexible printed circuit board extending from the substrate unit and connected to the head actuator; and a male connector attached to the main flexible printed circuit board,
the head actuator including a bearing portion; two arms each having a proximal end portion attached to the bearing portion, and a distal end portion supporting the head, extending from the bearing portion, the arms being opposed to each other across a given space; and relay flexible printed circuit boards fixed individually on the respective arms, connected electrically to the respective heads, and extending from the heads to the proximal end portions of the arms;
each of the relay flexible printed circuit boards including a connecting portion provided at the proximal end portion of the arm and having a first contact formed by exposing a part of a conductor pattern of the relay flexible printed circuit board, the connecting portions being opposed to each other across a given space to constitute a female connector,
the male connector including a projection configured to be fitted between the connecting portions of the female connector and second contacts provided on the projection and connected to a conductor pattern of the main flexible printed circuit board, the second contacts being arranged so as to contact with the respective first contacts when the projection is fitted between the connecting portions.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out hereinafter.